Pokémon: My Parallel World Daughters Revealed

The scene jumped forward again.

Melemele Island, entrance to the Pokémon School.

As Lillie led Asher’s family of three through the school gates, the campus loudspeakers were playing a traditional Alolan folk song.

Several Comfey sat in a neat row beside a flower bed, bobbing up and down to the rhythm.

"This is the Pokémon School."

Lillie stepped aside and made a welcoming gesture.

"Principal Samson is already waiting for us in his office."

Elaria held Ralts in her arms and curiously looked around.

"Daddy, there are so many Pokémon here!"

"Mm. From now on, you’ll be a student here."

Asher looked back and smiled at Elaria.

"Are you excited?"

"Very!"

Elaria held Asher’s hand, her golden eyes sparkling with anticipation.

"Elaria has such a sweet personality. I’m sure she’ll make lots of new friends."

Lillie smiled at Diantha.

Diantha smiled back.

"That’s because you’ve never seen her when her dad isn’t home."

"She can sit by the front door hugging Ralts and wait for him until it gets dark. No matter who tries to persuade her to move, she won’t budge."

"Mommy!"

Elaria’s cheeks turned slightly red, and she buried her face against Asher’s leg.

Asher bent down and picked her up.

"All right. Let’s head upstairs first."

The group went up to the second floor.

Before they had even reached the principal’s office, a heated argument echoed down the hallway.

"I’m telling you, Pokémon jokes are the foundation of education! Your senryu can’t liven up a classroom at all!"

"Jokes? You call those jokes?"

"The last time you told jokes to the new students, the temperature in the entire room dropped! Even an Alolan Vulpix sneezed!"

"You call that livening up the classroom?!"

Each voice was louder than the last.

Several students passing through the corridor calmly detoured around the principal’s office as though they had long since grown accustomed to this.

Their expressions practically said—

Here they go again.

Lillie gently pushed open the office door.

The scene inside was even more chaotic than it had sounded from the hallway.

Professor Oak and Principal Samson stood face-to-face on opposite sides of a desk.

Even the documents on the tabletop had been shaken out of place by their argument.

Standing between the two elderly men and desperately attempting to mediate was Professor Kukui.

He wore a white lab coat, and his face was filled with helplessness.

"Principal! Professor Oak! The new student is already here!"

The two men instantly stopped arguing.

Both heads snapped toward the doorway in perfect unison.

"Carry on."

Asher waved a hand.

"I’m just an ordinary parent dropping my daughter off at school. Don’t mind me."

"Asher?!"

Professor Oak was the first to react, his face immediately lighting up.

"Perfect timing! Come judge this for us—"

"Exactly! You be the judge!"

Principal Samson refused to back down either.

He grabbed the notebook from his desk and shoved it toward Asher.

"Which is better at livening up a classroom—Pokémon jokes or Pokémon senryu?"

"Ahem, ahem."

Asher cleared his throat.

Then he crouched down, placed both hands solemnly on Elaria’s shoulders, and looked at her with an exceptionally serious expression.

"Elaria, remember what Daddy is about to tell you."

"When you grow up... Never become a researcher."

"Otherwise, you’ll end up like these two grandpas."

"Understand?"

Elaria blinked her golden eyes.

"Oh."

Professor Kukui covered his face with one hand.

His shoulders were shaking violently.

Diantha lightly smacked the back of Asher’s head.

"Stop teaching our daughter nonsense."

Then she turned toward the two elderly men and gave a slight bow.

"Professor Oak, Principal Samson. It’s been a long time."

"Ah, Diantha."

Professor Oak nodded.

"This husband of yours really hasn’t changed at all after all these years."

"I apologize for the embarrassment."

Diantha’s smile was flawless.

Principal Samson walked over and crouched in front of Elaria, a kindly smile appearing on his face.

"You must be Elaria."

"Welcome to the Pokémon School."

Elaria gave him a perfectly proper bow.

"Hello, Grandpa Principal!"

"Good, good."

Principal Samson reached out as though to gently help her straighten up.

"What a polite little girl."

"Come along. Let’s fill out your enrollment form."

After Elaria finished filling in the registration form, Lillie stepped forward.

"Principal, why don’t I take Elaria around the campus next?"

Principal Samson nodded.

"That works."

"Go ahead, Lillie. I still have a few things to settle with this old fossil from Kanto."

Professor Oak’s eyes widened.

"Who are you calling an old fossil?!"

"Whoever still cites papers from thirty years ago is an old fossil."

Seeing that another round of battle was about to erupt inside the office—

Lillie decisively evacuated the scene with Elaria and her parents.

[VIP Chat Group]

[Steven]: Hahahahahahaha! "Never become a researcher when you grow up!" Brother Asher’s line has the destructive power of an indiscriminate area attack!

[Professor Oak]: ...

[Professor Sycamore]: ...

[Professor Birch]: ...

[Professor Rowan]: ...

[Bill]: I’ve already written Mr. Asher’s advice down in my notebook. Although I also conduct research quite often, I’ll do my best to avoid getting into arguments with people inside my office.

[Professor Kukui]: This is a misunderstanding! Researchers don’t just randomly start arguing with people!

[Gary]: Grandpa, why were you even arguing with Great-Uncle Samson about something like this?

[Professor Oak]: ...I don’t know either.

[Principal Samson]: Hehe. Samuel, stop struggling. Your parallel-world self clearly lost to me, which proves that Pokémon jokes are more charming than senryu.

[Professor Oak]: Samson, what did you just say?!

[Professor Oak]: Say that again?!

[Ash]: Wait, wait, wait! Why are the real Professor Oak and Principal Samson starting to argue too?!

[Professor Kukui]: Sigh. I’ve tried talking them out of this plenty of times. They’re always like this.

[Professor Rowan]: It’s a family matter in the first place. Let them argue.

The video continued playing.

On Elaria’s first official day at the Pokémon School—

Asher and Diantha boarded their private jet for the return trip.

Diantha sat beside the window, watching Melemele Island gradually shrink into a tiny green speck surrounded by ocean.

Suddenly, she turned toward Asher.

"Darling, why did you leave Elaria in the Aether Foundation’s care?"

"Is there something wrong with that?"

Asher was flipping through the in-flight menu.

"Elaria has people looking after her while she’s in Alola. Doesn’t that make you feel more at ease?"

"That’s exactly what I’m talking about."

Diantha folded her arms.

"Lusamine is being far too courteous toward you. I can’t help feeling that something about it isn’t normal."

Asher’s hand paused for an instant as he flipped the page.

"Darling."

He raised his head, wearing an expression of absolutely flawless innocence.

"You’re questioning your husband’s natural charm."

"Lusamine is so polite to me purely because I’m handsome."

Diantha stared at him for three seconds.

Then she reached over and pulled the menu straight out of his hands.

"Go on. Keep making things up."

"It’s true. I stake my integrity on it."

"Your integrity was mortgaged to me the day we got married."

"..."

"Then I stake Steven’s integrity on it."

"Steven doesn’t have any integrity."